Élan: a collection
by White Butterfly
Summary: A collection of short fanfiction for Yuuko Ichihara and Clow Reed. Sometimes silly, often sensuous and always stylish.
1. I : chains

**Title: **Chains

**Character/Pairing:** Clow/Yuuko  
**Style: **Drabble  
**Genre: **Gen/Romance/Dark-ish  
**Rating: **PG  
**Spoilers: **None?

* * *

When they lay entwined together their hair tangled, the strands combining and mingling; knotting and tying them to each other like the strings of fate.  
His settled into whorls and uneven clumps, like seaweed being washed onto a beach, seafoam lapping and curling through it.  
Hers spread out around her; the strands splaying out like rays of the sun, with her lying at its centre.

Black upon black, fine running through coarse, curls tangled around straight: they were bound, tied inextricably to the other.  
Shackled together by invisible, heavy bonds of duty, they lay – eyes closed and dreaming of freedom.


	2. II : words

**Title: **words

**Character/Pairing:** Clow Reed/Yuuko Ichihara  
**Style: **Ficlet  
**Genre: **Gen/Humour  
**Rating: **PG  
**Spoilers: **General foreboding, nothing specific (except maybe hints of Clow's death)  
**Notes: **shadowsinfire kindly betaed this for me.

* * *

"Yuuko, what's a word for an inextricable event, something that one can't stop happening?" Clow waved his hand absently around as if he were trying to conjure the word into existence.

"Aren't you the one who has studied many languages?" asked the dark haired lady in question, who was sprawled languorously on a chair near him; smoke spilling from her mouth as she drew the long pipe away from her lips.  
"You were talking about a word the other day. _Kairos _wasn't it? Is that what you're looking for?"

The man shook his head, ponytail slipping from his shoulder to hang down his back. "No, that's not it. Something in your language, I believe."

Yuuko scowled momentarily before breathing out another plume of smoke. "_Hitsuzen_?" She paused as he continued to look at her, waiting.  
"It's the perfect word to describe you Clow; an event that is completely unstoppable and will occur no matter what steps in its path."

"Yes," he smiled, ignoring her jibe at him, and turned to continue his writing. "Exactly the word I was looking for. Something that changes you inextricably as it occurs."  
He glanced at her again, another smile on his lips. "A fine description for someone like you as well."

Yuuko gave a snort as Clow laughed at her reaction. A small pause followed their slightly strained joking.

"We are both _hitsuzen_ after all," Yuuko said.  
A thin tendril of smoke lifted from her lips, coiling slowly before dissolving into the air as silence settled between them once again.


	3. III: wine and silken strands

**Title:** wine and silken strands  
**Character/Pairing:** Ichihara Yuuko/Clow Reed  
**Style:** Drabble  
**Genre:** General, slightly sad  
**Rating:** PG  
**Prompt:** March 28, 2009 - real faith, my dear, is just a dream

* * *

He is gently stroking her hair, pushing slippery strands away from her face. The sound as he does so is like the rustling of silk as the strands fall back to their former postions as soon as he brushes them away.

Stretched out on the lounge like she is, Yuuko is languid, relaxed to the point of drowsiness, the wine glass in her hand at risk of slipping.

There is a moment where Clow must believe this is in imminent danger of happening and as he reaches out to grasp the glassware, Yuuko murmurs, "Let me enjoy this moment Clow," before making an impatient noise for him to continue his previous action.

Obediently, Clow does so and save for Yuuko's occasional sips of wine there is only the silk rustle sound of him stroking her hair. Nothing else interrupts until he stops in his movement to speak softly.

"Yuuko, you know that everything will turn out all right. There is no reason for you to fret, to worry that all our safeguards have failed." He smiles, eyes crinkled in that way of his.

She just replies with a noncommittant sound and takes another drink from her glass, dubious of a dead man's faith.


End file.
